Lever and spring wheel suspension for boats



Oct. 29, 1957 D. MOREHOUSE LEVER AND SPRING WHEEL SUSPENSION FOR BOATS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 13. 1954 Q V m 0 m 2 mph n 2 P w? m a .H Man D d n i m w w WM 6 J 3 a B 9 3 6 7; 00 E E 0 3 2 3 9 33 w 9 a 2 F M 9 3 Oct. 29, 1957 D. MOREHOUSE 2,311,371

LEVER AND SPRING WHEEL SUSPENSION FOR BOATS Filed Aug. 13, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 e m L w m m r e N V v. Q 0 m A mm H M M 3 n m.- .D .m e W m L 3 w W Q m 00L). 9 l 8 a m 9 NW WM... .0... .3 5, 41% MW 8 .W 5 n i; W. F N i W T5 m H wWF-H-I I'I 2 o @555 a Z/ -9 m ..I l. 7 h" 2 h i 2 fifwgm w m w 4 b w LMWI LH d a 3 8 5 0 m m z Z Z Z 2,811,371 LEVER AND SPRING WHEEL SUSPENSION FOR BOATS Llewellyn D. Morehouse, Grand Rapids, Mich. Application August 13, 1954, Serial No. 449,707 3 Claims. (Cl. 280-124) This invention relates to wheel suspension for boats and is particularly intended to support boats of the small cruiser class for transportation on the road from place to place. The wheels are located in open bottomed wells at the respective sides of the boat amidship in a position to support the preponderance of weight of the boat. The wheels are mounted in pivoted spring cushioned frames located in the wells and project downwardly below the bottom of the hull and are not removed when the boat is in the water. They serve as ballast for the boat and improve its maneuverability.

The bow of the boat is provided with a suitable hitch by which it can be connected to the rear of an automobile for hauling on the road and a small front wheel may be detachably connected to the hitch to enable the boat to be moved into and out of the water. The hitch and front wheel form no part of the present invention.

The invention provides various novel features of construction and arrangement, hereafter more fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which;

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a boat showing ing wheels in place thereon,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation on the line 2-2 of Fig. 4, showing a wheel and its frame mounted in a well in the boat hull,

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of the same on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional elevation of the same on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a wheel frame removed from the boat,

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of parts of the frame mounting structure, and

Fig. 7 is an axial section of the wheel hub and mounting means.

Like numerals refer to like parts in all of the figures.

The boat has a hull 1 and may also have a cabin 2. This wheel support is particularly intended to be used with boats driven by outboard motors which are preferably removed when the boat is transported on land so that there is no projection at the bottom of the hull to interfere with such transportation.

The hull 1 has a bottom 3 and a well 4 is built into each side of the hull amidships and opens through the bottom 3. Each well has vertical sides 5, ends 6 and a top 7 which can be used as a seat in the cockpit of the boat.

Each wheel supporting frame has two spaced side members 8 between which the wheel 9 is mounted and a rear cross member 10 which is suitably attached to and joins the rear ends of the side members 8. A shaft 11 extends between the forward ends of the side members 8 and is journaled in bearings 12 thereon so that the frame may have a pivotal movement of the shaft. Collars 13 are fixed to the shaft 11 and prevent longitudinal movement of the side frame members thereon. Brackets 14 support the respective ends of the the supportshaft 11 and are attached to the sidewalls 5 of the well as by screws. flattened to prevent rotation in the brackets 14.

The rear end of the wheel supporting frame is supported by coiled springs 15 which are seated at their lower ends on spring seats 16 attached to the frame and their upper ends are seated on a cross bar 17. Short studs 18 project from the cross bar 17 and from the spring seats 16 into the springs 15 to hold them in place.

Vertical bars 19 and 20 are attached to the inner surfaces of the well sides 5 opposite the rear end of the wheel frame. Each of these bars 19 and 20 is provided at its lower end with an inturned lip 21 which extends under thewheel frame to limit its downward swinging movement and also with an outwardly turned lip 22 which extends under the bottom 3 of the boat hull.

Each end of the cross bar 17, which is of channel form, has its connecting web cut away sothat the two side members project in the form of forks 23. The vertical edges of the vertical bar 19 are notched at 24 to receive the forks 23 of one endof the cross bar 17 and the upper end 'of the other vertical bar20 is narrowed at providingshoulders 26. The narrowed portion fits between the forks 23 of the other end of the cross bar 17 and they seat on the shoulders 26. An angle bracket 27 is detachably fixed to the bar 20 above the end of the cross bar 17, seating upon its upper edge and holding it in place.

By this construction, the forward end of the frame may be first pivotally mounted in the well on the brackets 14 and the vertical bars 19 and 20 attached to the sides 5 of the well. Then operating from above with the top 7 of the well removed, the springs 15 are laid in place on the spring seats 16. The cross bar 17 is then installed by inserting the forks 23 at one end into the notches 24 of the vertical bar 19 and sliding the forks 23 at its other end over the narrowed portion 25 of the vertical bar 20 and against the shoulders 26-where it is held in place by attaching the angle bracket 27.

The wheel 9 is detachably connected to the flange 28 of the hub 29 which is provided on its inner side with roller bearing races 30 on which the roller bearings 31 travel. The inner bearing races 32 are slid onto the axle 33 which has one end 34 which is square in cross section and its other end 35 is screw threaded. A nut 36 also square in cross section and preferably the same diameter as the squared end 34 of the axle, is screwed onto the threaded end 35 of the axle. Washers 37 are interposed between the nut 36 and one of the inner bearing races 32 and turning the nut 36 on the threaded axle adjusts fit of the roller bearings.

The side members 8 of the frame, which are channel shape, are reenforced at their centers with short strengthening channels 8a which are welded thereto and bolts 38 pass vertically through these channel members and project from their under sides. Wheel attaching clips 39 embrace the squared end 34 of the axle and the square nut 36 and are held in place against the under sides of the side frame members by the bolts 38 and nuts thereon.

Removal of a Wheel for replacement or tire repair is simply done by removing the nuts from the bolts 38 which permits removal of the clips 39 allowing the wheel to drop downwardly out of the frame. When the fit of the roller bearings has been once adjusted by turning the square nut 36 on the threaded axle, and the wheel has been mounted on the frame, this adjustment can not be disturbed because the clips 39 prevent rotation of the nut and axle.

An advantage of this device is that the wheels and tires of the boat suspension may be the same size as those of the automobile used to tow the boat and thereby the spare tire and wheel usually carried by the auto- Theends of shaft 11 are preferably 3. mobile can be used for the boat suspension if necessary.

This invention has been found to have many advantages. The wheel suspension is practical and simple. The wheel frame being pivoted to the boat at its forward end and spring supported at the rear with the wheel mounted between, gives the desirable cushion effect when traveling over rough roads. The method of wheel attachment by its squared axle and square nut which are embraced by the clips 39 and held in place by the bolts 38 make wheel removal and bearing adjustment simple and easy. The wheels being permanently mounted on the boat and projecting from its bottom add stability to the boat when in the water and increase its maneuverability.

While this wheel suspension was primarily devised for boats intended to be hauled mind from time to time, his equally applicable to other vehicles such as house trailers or others and especially those intended to be trailed behind another vehicle.

The invention is defined by the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms coming within their scope. Y

I claim:

1. The combination with a vehicle having an open bottomed well in its body of a wheel suspension comprising, a substantially horizontal frame located within said well, means for pivotally connecting the frame at its forward end to the body, spring cushioning means connecting the rear end of the frame to the body, a wheel detachably connected to the frame between its ends, said wheel being detachably connected to a hub, said hub having an axial opening therethrough, an axle passing through said axial opening, bearings longitudinally adjustable on said axle and bearing against the interior 3. The combination with a vehicle having an open bottomed well in its body, of a wheel suspensioncomprising, a substantially hOIiZOl'liELl frame located within said well, means for pivotally connecting the frame at its forward end to the body, spring cushioning means connecting the rear end of the frame to the body, a wheel having a hub with an axial opening therethrough, an axle extending through said opening and having one screw threaded end, a bearing supporting said hub on said axle and longitudinally adjustable on said axle, a nut screwed onto the threaded end of said axle and engageable with said bearing, and detachable means for non-rotatably connecting said nut and said axle to said frame.

References Cited in the tile of this patent I UNITED STATES PATENTS Johnston Oct. 4, 1955 

